Electric switch.



PATENTED OCT. 25, 1904.

A. G. BODINE. ELECTRIC SWITCH.

APPLIOATIOK FILED rmm, 1904.

N0 MODEL.

NITED STATES Patented October 25, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT G. BODINE. OF BALDWIN TOWVNSHIP, ALLEGHENY COUNTY,

PENNSYLVANIA.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 773,464, dated October 25, 1904.

Application filed February 2,1904. Serial No. 191,746. (No model.)

To all whom, it vita/y concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT G. BODINE, a citizen of the United States of America, residing in Baldwin township, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Switches, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in switches, and more particularly to that class which are electrically operated; and this invention has for its object to provide'a switch of this type which will be automatically operated at a time prior to the rolling-stock passing over the switch.

Another object of my invention is to provide a switch of this type which is applicable to electric railways, means being provided upon the trolley-wire adjacent to the switch whereby it will be necessary for the motorman to stop the car to throw the switch, as is now generally the case, and in carrying out this invention I use the ordinary construction of trolley pole and switch and in conjunction with these old elements employ an extra attachment to the trolley-wire now in use and employ electromagnets mounted adjacent to the switch-tongue and connected to the same.

This invention further consists in the novel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more fully described, and specifically pointed out in the claim.

In describing the invention in detail reference is had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application, and wherein like numerals of reference indicate like parts throughout the several views, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of the trolley-wire, a portion of one of the contact-plates being broken away to show the trolley-wire. and its support. Fig. 2 is an end View of the same. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the trolley-pole, showing a portion of a car by which the pole is carried. Fig. 4 is an end view of the trolley-pole as carried on the top of a car, showing the controller diagrammatically. Fig. 5 is a top plan view of a switch. Fig. 6 is a top plan view of the casing containing the electromagnets, the top of the casing being-removed. Fig. 7 is asection taken on the line 7 7 of Fig. 3. Fig. 8 is'a top plan view of the contact mechanism between the trolley-pole and top of the car.

To put my invention into practice, I employ the ordinary trolley-wire and its support now generally used, which consists of mushroom 1 and the trolley-wire 2, and supported from this mushroom and insulated from the same by the insulation 3 I secure a plate 4:, this plate lying above the trolleywire and extending some distance on each side of the mushroom. On each side of this plate and adjacent to each end I secure the downwardly-extending plates 5 and 5, which are supported on the plate 4 by means of the bolts 6, which are formed integral with the plates 5 and 5, these bolts being threaded, as indicated at 7, to receive a nut 8, whereby the plates 5 and 5 may be securely fastened to the plate 4, as illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawings. Prior to securing these plates 5 and 5' on the plate 4 I insert the insulatingwashers 9 in the apertures 10, through which the bolts 6 pass, whereby these plates 5 and 5' will be insulated from the plate 4 and consequently insulated from each other. Upon the trolley-pole 11 adjacent to the trolley-wheel 12 thereof I secure the arms 1 and 14, the rear ends of these arms conforming to the shape of the pole, as indicated at 15, and being secured together by the bolts 16, each of these arms 14 and 14: being insulated from one another by the insulation 17 which surrounds the trolley-pole 11. In the trolley-pole near these arms 14: and 14! 1 provide an aperture 18, through which the wires 19 and 20, which are connected to the arms 14 and M, as indicated at 21 and 22, may pass, these wires 21 and 22 passing downwardly through the hollow trolley-pole 11 and passing to the exterior again through an aperture 23, formed in the trolley-pole near its base. The trolley-pole carries the ordinary spring construction, as indicated at 24, and is supported upon a rectangular frame 25, this frame being pivotally mounted, as indicated at 26, to the top of the car 27. The rectangular frame has secured on its ends the angle-plates 28 and 28, which are insulated from the rectangular frame .25, these plates carrying contact-blocks 29 and 529, which are adapted to engage two segments 30 and 30', arranged diametrically opposite each other upon the top of the car. The Wires 19 and 20, which pass down the hollow pole 11 and to the exterior again through the aperture 23, are connected to the angle-plates 28 and 28, as indicated at 31.

The reference-numeral 32 indicates the switch, and the reference numeral 33 the switch-tongue, to which is connected the armature-rod 34, which passes into the casing 35 of the electromagnets. This casing is secured to the ties of the railway or to any suitable object adjacent to the switch-tongue, and I preferably form this casing of two sections, whereby the top 35 may be removed in order that the magnets may be renewed when desired. In each end of the casing 35 I pro- Vide the Openings 36, through which the armature-rod 34 may pass, and formed integral with this rod is the armature 3.7. In each end of the casing I provide a set of magnets 38 and 89, one of the windings of each of these sets of magnets being connectedv to the casing, as indicated at 40, to ground the same.

In Fig. 4c of the drawings the referencenumeral 41 indicates the controller, which may be located at any place upon the car convenient to the motorman, whereby when it is desired to throw the switch-tongue he may operate the controller and throw the tongue of the switch in the desired position. In this same figure I have illustrated by a diagrammatical View part of the wiring employed by me, and taken in conjunction with Fig. 5 0f the drawings the circuits used to accomplish the operation heretofore described are as follows: e will assume that the trolley-pole is in position upon the trolley-wire, and the contact-arms let and 14 are in engagement with the plates 5 and 5, carried by the plate tof the trolley-wire. \Vhen the trolley-pole is in this position and it is desired to throw the switch-tongue in one direction, the controller 41 is placed in contact with the contact 42, when the current passes from the main carcircuit wire &6 to the contact 4:2, then through wire to segment 30, through plate 5, through wire 43 to the pair of magnets 38, the current then being grounded by the wire 40, connected to the magnet-easing. \Vhen this circuit has been completed, the armature 37 will be attracted to this set of magnets and the switch-tongue thrown to the desired position. It being desired to throw the switch-tongue in the other direction, the circuit is through switch-contact &8. wire t? to segment 30, to contact-pin 29, through wire 19 to arm let, through plate 5 to wire 44:, through said wire to the set of magnets indicated by the reference numeral 39 and grounded, as indicated at 40, thus completing the circuit.

It will be noted that I employ the proper insulation of rubber or other equivalent material to guard against the short-circuiting of the current, and I may also employ what water-tight connections are necessary to prevent water from entering the casing of the magnets and in any manner short-circuiting the current. It will also be noted that various slight changes may be made in the details of construction without departing from the general spirit of my invention.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

In an electric switch,the combination of two independent switch-operating magnets, an in sulated plate mounted above a trolley-wire, vertically-disposed parallel plates carried by and insulated from the said insulated plate, electrical connections between said verticallydisposed plates and electromagnets, a swiveled trolley-pole, a revolving base on which said trolley-pole is carried, insulated plates embracing the upper end of said trolley-pole and having projecting arms adapted to con tact with the vertically-disposed plates sustained by the trolley-wire, a revoluble base on which the trolley-pole is swiveled, a frame mounted on said revoluble base, contacts carried on the ends of said frame electrically connected to the insulated plates on the tr lley-pole and segmental stationary plates arranged on the top'of the car and contacting with the contacts carried by said frame and electrically connected to a switching device on the car.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ALBERT G. BODINE.

WVitnesses:

H. U. EvERnT, J OHN GRon'rzINenR. 

